The Oregonian referenced this letter on the Editorial page this morning.
My Oregon, the public blog for The Oregonian/oregonlive.com, is featuring it today.
A Portland street named for Cesar Chavez is a terrible idea and the primary reason is because the man was divisive, no matter Mr. Shaw’s contention. Instead, we should build and name a wall for the man who united a handful of unions, but divided people.
In California, where he is generally considered to have the most impact, Chavez’s UFW now represents a scant 2% of the state’s agricultural workforce. Is this the “impact” Mr. Shaw talks about?
Chavez, a third-generation American and a veteran, though hardly a patriot, ultimately encouraged the Mexican re-invasion of the U.S. south and west.
I know that immigration works, speaking as a man who has a wonderful network of family and friends and co-workers who have successfully immigrated to America from all parts of the world including Mexico, but Chavez advocated illegality in exchange for political cache.
The unfortunate result of such egregious law-breaking—on behalf of a certain demographic’s quest for the fruits of American employment—has become a cultural reoccupation of our states occurring right under our collective noses.
Increased lawlessness and blind acceptance of foreign cultures as superior to our own is the ultimate “impact” of Chavez’s legacy. The Third World’s encroachment and infiltration won’t stop at the lack of a Chavez Street in the Rose City, but I’ll take a stalemate for now.
